On the heels of a disappointing 2-1 loss to the rival San Francisco Giants in Friday’s opener at Oracle Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in unfamiliar territory.
For the first time since April 23-24, the club looks to snap a two-game losing streak. They nonetheless enter play with the best record in the National League by a wide margin at 43-21 and hold a nine-game lead over the second-place Colorado Rockies in the division.
The Giants, meanwhile, sit at the bottom of the NL West with a 26-36 record. Despite their overall struggles, they still boast a 4-3 record in seven games against Los Angeles this season.
Rich Hill makes his eighth start and looks for similar results from his most recent outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. In seven shutout innings, he allowed just three hits and three walks while accumulating nine strikeouts.
The 39-year-old is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 3.95 FIP and 1.05 WHIP in 40 innings pitched this season. He has struck out 46 batters compared to issuing just nine walks in the early going.
In his career against San Francisco, Hill owns a stellar 7-2 record, 2.26 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 78 strikeouts over 83.2 innings (14 starts). At Oracle Park, the left-hander is 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in six appearances.
The Giants counter with Jeff Samardzija, who looks to build off an excellent start against the Baltimore Orioles. In six innings of work, he allowed only one run on three hits and recorded six strikeouts. Samardzija ultimately earned his third win of the season, snapping a personal three-game losing streak.
The right-hander enters with a 3-4 record, 3.61 ERA, 4.77 FIP and 1.17 WHIP in 62.1 innings pitched this season (12 starts). He has been one of the Giants’ most dependable starters, averaging over five innings per outing.
In his lone start against Los Angeles this season back on April 29, Samardzija tossed five shutout innings, allowing only two hits and one walk with one strikeout.
The 34-year-old has pitched particularly well at home, accumulating a 2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 26.2 innings (five starts). That’s in comparison to a 4.79 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in seven road appearances.
Alex Verdugo is in the lineup after receiving a night off because of lingering back tightness. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts does not consider Verdugo’s trouble to be serious despite the fact that it’s dogged him for multiple weeks.
Dodgers lineup:
LF: Joc Pederson
1B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
RF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Corey Seager
CF: Alex Verdugo
2B: Kiké Hernandez
C: Russell Martin
P: Rich Hill
Giants lineup:
RF: Mike Yastrzemski
1B: Brandon Belt
3B: Evan Longoria
LF: Tyler Austin
CF: Kevin Pillar
SS: Brandon Crawford
C: Aramis Garcia
2B: Donovan Solano
P: Jeff Samardzija
